11 Comments
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Victoria Klein (VK)'s avatar

This has been my favorite edition of this newsletter so far. Having grown up in a farming area of the United States, I've always been curious to experience to Japanese countryside.

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Kana Chan's avatar

Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I hope you can come and experience the Japanese countryside one day!

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Victoria Klein (VK)'s avatar

Thank you! I'm saving for a 2-3-week trip and definitely have plans to spend time in the countryside :)

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uddipan's avatar

discovered your newsletter recently and have been really admiring every bit of it. thank you. will wait for the next 🌻

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ZM Spalter's avatar

I think you're right, 72 seasons does sound like poetry. Do you have a recommended reading to learn more? Lovely photos, especially the reflection in the rice field. thank you!

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Kana Chan's avatar

Thank you so much for always reading! And YES, this is a beautiful app that aligns the date with the correlating microseason. Available in EN/JP!

https://www.kurashikata.com/72seasons/

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Angus's avatar

Wow, these microseasons are fascinating. It reminds me of naturalists like Thoreau, really taking notice of the subtle changes of the environment. This concept is a real gem

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Eric Mortenson's avatar

Beautiful, and optimistic. I think many of us find similar grounding in witnessing the lives of plants. Growing your own food - even just a small slice of it - is immensely rewarding. I often thing the person who hasn't stooped to plant, tend, harvest and eat their own food is missing a connection to the world that is of great importance.

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Kana Chan's avatar

Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment. I completely agree, Eric, there's so much more mindfulness and gratitude when we can make that connection with our food and where it comes from.

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Ethan's avatar

What beautiful slices of life!! You're really living, and your joy is infectious. Thank you for sharing!

I'm so curious, when were the 72 microseasons first written? Since most references to the natural world tend to be focused on climate change / the climate crisis, it's amazing to hear that the climate of Japan is, in many ways, still unchanged!

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Kana Chan's avatar

Thank you dearest Ethan!!

Good question! They were first adopted from a similar micro-seasonal calendar in China, and was eventually rewritten in 1685. So a long time ago...!

I think it depends on your proximity to natural environment to be able to observe the micoseasons. I haven't observe it year round but there must be (sadly) changes from the climate crisis.

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